Any firm user can electronically document a matter in Clio Manage and receive real-time updates to instantly know which documents have been accepted, rejected, or pending. Once a document is accepted and stamped by the court, it will automatically populate in the matter's Documents subtab. You can file for a new matter that does not have a court-assigned case number yet or electronically file a subsequent filing for an active matter that already has a court-assigned case number.
Initiate a case
You can either initiate a new case or add a filing to an existing case. Once you initiate a filing, the matter will receive a case number. If you add a filing to an existing case, the court-assigned case number will apply. Follow the steps listed below to electronically file documents to your local court and e-serve legal notice to parties for a new matter.
Tip: To submit multiple documents in one filing, click Add filing and complete the e-filing selection as described below.
- Go to the main E-filings tab, and select New E-filings.
- You can also go to the matter and select the E-filing subtab.
- Select the matter for which you want to initiate a case and select Start e-filing.
- Under Case initiation, click Start new case.
- Complete the following sections according to the steps below.
- Under Court information, select the appropriate State, County, and Court name for your filing from the dropdown menu.
- Under Case information, select a Case category and Case type from the dropdown.
- Under Submission information, verify the filer and select the Filing attorney.
- Optional: Depending on your case type, complete fields such as Damage amount and
- Click Next to move on to add Parties.
In this section, you can select the filer's information and enter relevant details for parties and service contacts. The court that you selected will configure the type of case and the type of parties required. There is no limit to the amount of parties and service contacts you can add.
- Parties: Here, you can select the appropriate parties for the case. The available fields will vary depending on your selected state or county.
- Service contacts: Here, you can add the appropriate service contacts to whom you want to serve legal notice for this filing.
Complete each component of the Parties section as follows:
- Under Primary contact, select the contact for the matter.
- Under Filing attorney, select yourself or the filing attorney on whose behalf you are filing. If the filing attorney is not on the list, click Add filing attorney. Complete the prompts to select the attorney's name and enter their bar number.
- Under Parties, click Add to select from existing contacts or create new parties for the filing. Your available options will depend on your case type.
- Optional: Click Add party to include additional case parties. If the party is your client, check the Client box or This is my client in the modal.
- In the modal, under Select from contacts, add an existing contact and confirm the address. To update a contact at this stage, click Save changes to contact records.
- If the party is not an existing contact, select New case party from the dropdown and complete the necessary contact fields.
- To add the new party as a contact, check Save party to contact records.
- After adding a party, you can do the following:
- Check the box under Client to mark a party as your client.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the party's details. Once you submit the filing, you cannot make changes to the parties on any filing.
- Click the X icon to remove the party from the filing. You can only remove parties before submitting the filing.
- Once you submit the filing, you cannot change the parties, even for a subsequent filing in the same court case.
- Click Add service contact to start adding contacts to which you want to serve. In the new modal, you will need to enter the contact's details.
- If the contact is a service contact from your firm, check the box for Firm service contact.
- If you want the contact to be e-served legal notice, check the box for E-serve this contact.
- After adding a service contact, you can do the following:
- Check the box under Firm contact to mark the contact as a contact from your firm.
- Check the box under E-serve to electronically serve legal notice to this contact.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the service contact's details.
- Click the X icon to remove the service contact from the filing.
- Click Next to move on to the Documents section.
In this section, you can review documents, add supporting documents for the case, and select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs. You can add documents from documents already stored in Clio Manage or upload new documents. Once added, you will need to set a lead document and categorize the remaining documents by type to move on to the next section.
Note: Some courts prefer to have all documents submitted as one PDF file or may have certain document requirements. For more updated and detailed filing requirements, visit your court's official website.
- Under Filing code, select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs. The court predetermines the list based on the type of case you are filing.
- Under Lead document, check that the lead document is accurate and select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs. You also have the option to add a different lead document.
- Under Type, select the appropriate category for the type of document.
- Under Security, select whether the filing contains sensitive information.
- Click the download icon to preview the document or the X icon to remove the document from the filing.
- Click Add documents to add supporting documents to the filing.
- Under Add documents, you can select from documents already stored in Clio Manage or drag and drop new documents into the Upload new documents modal.
- Under Select from matter documents, choose documents from Clio Manage.
- Under Upload new documents, upload any new documents needed for the filing.
- Click the circle arrow icon to replace the selected document or the X icon to remove the document from the filing.
- Optional: To include multiple document filings in one submission, click Add filing, select the appropriate filing code, check the lead document, add supporting documents and any other filing requirements.
- Click Next to move on to the Review and pay section.
In this section, you can check the summary of what information was completed from the previous sections to ensure that everything is accurate, automate an expense entry for the filing, and review the estimated charges and fees. You can view final charges in your settings, as described in View payments for filings. Depending on the state and/or county-specific requirements, the charges can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Electronic filing service provider (EFSP): An EFSP is a court-approved software vendor that collects filing submissions and fee payments in a centralized platform and distributes them to the appropriate EFM.
- Electronic filing manager (EFM): An EFM is a software infrastructure that collects filing submissions and fee payments directly through a court-maintained web portal.
- Court services fees: Court services fees are fees set and charged by each court.
- Payment processing fees: Payment processing fees are fees charged by your payment processor to process your payment.
- State taxes: State taxes are taxes your state charges for filing submissions.
- Clio File fees: Clio File fees are fees charged by Clio to use e-filing.
Tip: After a filing is submitted and approved, you can add an expense entry from the filing table or the individual filing page. You can also generate bills to collect payment from your client, all in Clio Manage.
- Under Case information, Filer information, Case parties, Service contacts, and Documents, check that the information you entered is accurate.
- Click Edit next to each section to make any changes.
- Under Estimated charges and fees, review the estimated cost of this filing.
- View the estimated expense entry total on the filing table. You will be notified by email if the entry creation is unsuccessful. Once approved, you can manually edit the expense entry from the filing table and individual filing page.
- Optional: Under Estimated charges and fees, check the box if you do not want to Automatically create an expense entry for this filing only when the firm is charged.
- Under Payment method, review the payment method. The payment method should already be set up based on your existing Clio Manage account settings.
- Optional: Under Message to filing clerk, enter a message about the filing for the court clerk.
- Click Previous to go back to the previous page, Save draft to come back to the filing later, or Submit to submit the filing to the court.
- You will be notified by email and in-app notifications when a filing is submitted, accepted, or rejected.
Submit subsequent filings
Follow the steps listed below to e-file documents to your local court and electronically serve legal notice to parties for an existing case for which you already have a court-assigned file number.
- Go to E-filings, and select New E-filings. Select a matter to submit the subsequent filing.
- The matter should already have a case number provided by the court when you started the case filing.
- Choose the existing court case and click E-file to this case, or if the existing case is not listed, select the Existing case option, then click Start e-filing.
Note: Selecting an existing court case will pre-populate the fields in the workflow sections described below based on the information already available. You'll have an opportunity to review and/or update these fields as you continue through the workflow.
- Complete or review the filing workflow sections as described below.
- Under Court information, select the appropriate State, County, and Court name for your filing from the dropdown menu.
- Under Case information, select a Case category and Case type from the dropdown.
- Under Submission information, the filer defaults to the current firm user. Select the Filing Attorney.
- Optional: Enter a Damage amount and select Procedural remedies.
- Click Next to continue to add Parties.
In this section, you can review the filer's information and party and service contact details from when the case was initiated. The court that you selected will configure the type of case and the type of parties required. There is no limit to the amount of parties and service contacts you can add.
-
In the Filer information area, review the filer contacts and make any changes as necessary to the contact and/or firm filer.
-
In the Parties area, review the parties for the case and make any changes as necessary. You cannot edit or remove parties, but you can do the following:
- Click Add party to add a new party.
- Check the box under Client to mark a party as your client.
- In the Service contacts area, review the appropriate service contacts and make any necessary changes. You can do the following:
- Click Add service contact to add a new service contact.
- Check the box under Firm contact to mark the contact as a contact from your firm.
- Check the box under E-serve to electronically serve the contact legal notice.
- Click the pencil icon to edit a service contact that you added. You cannot edit service contacts that were added by anyone else.
- Click the X icon to remove a service contact that you added. You cannot remove service contacts that were added by anyone else.
- Click Next to move on to the Documents section.
In this section, you can review documents, add supporting documents for the case, and select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs. You can add documents from documents already stored in Clio Manage or upload new documents. Once added, you will need to set a lead document and categorize the remaining documents by type to move on to the next section.
Note: Some courts prefer to have all documents submitted as one PDF file or may have certain document requirements. For more updated and detailed filing requirements, visit your court's official website.
- Under Filing code, select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs. The list is predetermined by the court based on the type of case you are filing.
- Under Documents, select the appropriate filing code to determine e-filing costs.
- Under Type, select the appropriate category for the type of document.
- Under Security, select whether the filing contains sensitive information.
- Click the download icon to preview the document or the X icon to remove the document from the filing.
- Click Add documents to add supporting documents to the filing.
- Under Add documents, you can select from documents already stored in Clio Manage or drag and drop new documents into the Upload new documents modal.
- Under Select from matter documents, choose documents from Clio Manage.
- Under Upload new documents, upload any new documents needed for the filing.
- Click the circle arrow icon to replace the selected document or the X icon to remove the document from the filing.
- Optional: To include multiple document filings in one submission, click Add filing, select the appropriate filing code, check the lead document, add supporting documents and any other filing requirements.
- Click Next to move on to the Review and pay section.
In this section, you can check the summary of what information was completed from the previous sections to ensure that everything is accurate, automate an expense entry for the filing, and review the estimated charges and fees You can view final charges in your settings, as described in View payments for filings. Depending on the state and/or county-specific requirements, the charges can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Electronic filing service provider (EFSP): An EFSP is a court-approved software vendor that collects filing submissions and fee payments in a centralized platform and distributes them to the appropriate EFM.
- Electronic filing manager (EFM): An EFM is a software infrastructure that collects filing submissions and fee payments directly through a court-maintained web portal.
- Court services fees: Court services fees are fees set and charged by each court.
- Payment processing fees: Payment processing fees are fees charged by your payment processor to process your payment.
- State taxes: State taxes are taxes your state charges for filing submissions.
- Clio File fees: Clio File fees are fees charged by Clio when you e-file.
- Under Case information, Filer information, Case parties, Service contacts, and Documents, check that the information you entered is accurate.
- Click Edit next to each section to make any changes.
- Under Estimated charges and fees, review the estimated cost of this filing.
- View the estimated expense entry total on the filing table. You will be notified by email if the entry creation is unsuccessful. Once approved, you can manually edit the expense entry from the filing table and individual filing page.
- Optional: Under Estimated charges and fees, check the box if you do not want to Automatically create an expense entry for this filing only when the firm is charged.
- Under Payment method, review the payment method. The payment method should already be set up based on your existing Clio Manage account settings.
- Optional: Under Message to filing clerk, enter a message about the filing for the court clerk.
- Click Previous to go back to the previous page, Save draft to come back to the filing later, or Submit to submit the filing to the court.
- You will be notified by email and in-app notifications when a filing is submitted, accepted, or rejected.
E-serve documents
After initiating a case, you can electronically serve legal notices to individual contacts without submitting documents to the court. This section explains how to serve documents only.
Tip: Clio File allows multiple service document filings in one submission. Once you add one filing, click Add filing and complete the e-filing selection as described below.
Note: You can only serve documents for existing cases.
- Go to E-filings and select New E-filings.
- Select a matter to submit the service document. The matter will already have a case number.
- Choose the existing court case and click E-file to this case, or if the existing case is not listed, select the Existing case option, then click Start e-filing.
Note: Selecting an existing court case pre-populates fields. Review and update these fields as needed.
- Under Court information, select the State, County, and Court name from the dropdown menus.
- Under Case information, select a Case category and Case type from the dropdown.
- Under Submission details, select E-serve only.
- Under Filing attorney, select yourself or the filing attorney.
- Optional: If you need to add a filing attorney, click Add filing attorney.
- Click Next to add Service Contacts.
- Under Service contacts, click Add service contact.
- Optional: Check Firm contact to mark the contact as a contact from your firm.
- Check E-serve to electronically serve the contact.
- Optional: Click the edit icon to edit or the X icon to remove a service contact that you added. You cannot edit service contacts added by other firm users.
- Click Next to add service documents.
- Add documents from Clio Manage or upload new documents.
Note: Submit e-service documents in PDF format according to envelope size limits.
- Add documents from Clio Manage or upload new documents.
- Under Filing information, complete the required fields.
- Under Security, select whether the filing contains sensitive information.
- To preview a document, click the download icon. To remove a document, click the X icon.
- To add supporting documents, click Add documents.
- To select documents from Clio Manage, choose Select from matter documents. To upload new documents, choose Upload new documents.
- To replace a document, click the circle arrow icon, or to remove it, click the X icon.
- Optional: To include multiple document filings in one submission, click Add filing.
- Click Next to Review and Pay.
- Review the information in each section. Click Edit to make changes.
- Click Previous to go back to the previous page, Save draft to come back to the filing later.
- You will be notified by email and in-app notifications when a filing is submitted, accepted, or rejected.
Tip: Once a filing is submitted, you can add an expense entry and generate bills to collect payment.